Keep You Warm
by pickalily
Summary: Fluffy (and nonfluffy) Eremika drabbles for all of your Eremika needs.
1. You're Beautiful AU 1

_A/N: My muse told me to write this so write this I did. I've always loved Ghibli films so why not write a Princess Mononoke AU for EreMika?_

* * *

Disgusting, _disgusting,_ Mikasa thought. She reeked of humans. The smell of iron and smoke and death clung to her and she felt the urge to tear off her own skin. She feared she'd never be rid of this stink. And while her human form looked frightfully like the dreaded humans that she detested, she reminded herself she was nothing like them. She would never cut down the beautiful trees in the forest, never pollute the waters that flowed in the stream, never harm the nature that she called home. The humans were the monsters after all and yet…

She looked reluctantly at the unconscious body beside her and bit her lip. And yet this boy had saved her. Her brother had told her to dispose of the nuisance but she couldn't bring herself to.

"It doesn't matter if he saved you," Levi had snarled at her, his hand hovering unconsciously over his chest where a silver bullet had pierced him only days before. "He's a piece of shit like the rest of them. It's in their nature to destroy everything around them unless we destroy them first." Even though the boy had come out of his way to return an unconscious Mikasa back to her brother where she would be safe, Levi had still lashed out hard enough to knock the boy out. Levi wouldn't do the dirty work himself though. He said the boy was Mikasa's problem and thus she should be the one to get rid of it.

Mikasa had told her brother she'd take care of the human hours ago and here he was, only unconscious. He stirred and she felt her breath hitch and her heart beat faster. As he stirred, eyes fluttering open, she reached out to snatch the dagger from his belt and held it close to his throat. While she held the sharp knife steady, the tip barely touching his neck, her own voice wavered. "Why did you save me," she whispered.

He fixed his eyes – big and blue and stormy like a troubled sky – on her. The boy didn't bother respond. No beads of sweat ran down his tanned skin and his breathing was even and steady. It was like he had just woken up from the most peaceful dream. He was strangely calm about this whole situation. If the weapon she held pressed to his throat bothered him he didn't show it.

She cleared her throat and spoke again. "Why did you save me?" she asked again, clenching the handle of the dagger even harder.

He parted his lips as if to speak but no words came out. His silence only succeeded in making her angry.

"What's wrong with you? You saved that bitch but you saved me too!" she snarled. Her voice, usually calm and quiet, was rising. She wondered if the whole forest could hear her. "Why would you save me? I'm a wolf and you're a human! I'm your enemy!" Frustrated by his lack of response, Mikasa raised the knife and brought it down, sure that the sight of his blood spilled on the ground would somehow make her feel better, but she stopped it inches away from his throat when he finally decided to speak.

"You're beautiful." His words were so quiet that she wasn't quite sure if he had spoken at all.

She sat there, startled and frozen in place. "What did you say?" she said.

"You're beautiful," he repeated, his eyes still fixed on her.

Her lip quivered and she slowly set the knife down. She wouldn't kill him. She couldn't kill him. She'd tell Levi that the boy had woken up while she was about slit his throat but he had woken up and gotten away from her. She'd say he was stronger than he looked. She'd lie. She wasn't sure why she felt this sudden urge to let this boy live. It wasn't like she had ever felt uneasy about getting blood on her hands. She had killed numerous humans in the past but for some reason this particular human made her think twice killing.

She looked over and he was still staring at her, gazing at her in wonder. She opened her mouth to tell him to leave but he spoke before she could. "I'm Eren," he told her. "Eren Jaeger."

"Eren Jaeger," she repeated, savoring every syllable that fell on her tongue. She felt a bit like she was betraying her brother by just speaking this stranger's name but at the same time she was too enraptured by the boy's big blue eyes and strange calmness to truly care. "I'm Mikasa."

Finally his eyes left her face to glance at the knife she had taken from him, the one she had discarded at her side. "Are you going to kill me?" he asked as if he had suddenly discovered this.

"No," she said, "I'm not."

This time his mouth opened to reveal a smile and his eyes twinkled as he returned his gaze to her. "Thank you," he said.

 _You're beautiful,_ she thought as she stared back.

* * *

 _Truth be told it's actually been a while since I've watched Princess Mononoke but I did rewatch this scene a couple of times just so I could write this. I might expand on this AU if I decide I like it. More importantly I hoped you guys liked it! Mayhaps Eren is a bit OOC in this but I like to think that his arm's being consumed with hatred from a Titan-infected animal and thus he's able to appreciate nature more instead of screaming about killing stuff. Yup, yup._

 _Feel free to leave some prompt ideas or other AUs in the comments or review if you have the time. Thanks a bunch!_


	2. Busted

_A/N: I need more Aus for SnK because there's a 75% chance it's not full of death and dying like the manga/anime so here's a college AU._

* * *

"Eren Jaeger, open the door," a voice called from the other side. The speaker had the same authoritative tone that Eren had only heard police officers or teacher speak in. "A student has reported you for smuggling suspicious objects in and out of the residential living commons."

"That goddamn Horse Face," Eren cursed under his breath. It was a well-known fact that Jean Kirschstein (who Eren had dubbed Horse Face for his equestrian facial features) hated Eren. Of course, the fact that Eren gave him the Horse Face title didn't help. Kirschstein would do absolutely anything to bust Eren.

Armin gulped and glanced at Eren. "It's Mikasa," Eren's roommate whispered nervously, tugging at his color. He had a habit of picking at his clothes when he was anxious. "The RA. We should probably let her in, Eren." He made a move towards the door but Eren glared.

"Take one more step forward, Arlert, and I will make sure you never see the light day again," he snarled.

"Do you even know Mikasa?" Armin hissed back. "She could probably kick down this door if she wanted to. I think she might do that actually. It might be within her powers as an RA."

Hadn't everyone heard of Mikasa? She was the strongest, smartest, most beautiful person in the school. Well, Eren wasn't sure if they were just rumors because he never had class with her but he had seen her roam around the halls enough to confirm that the last one might be true. Still, he thought it would take more than just hushed whispers about the RA to make Armin turn on him. "Does our bond mean so little to you? I see now that you fear her more than value our friendship," Eren sniffed.

"Yes!" Armin answered without hesitation. "She took down a drunk Reiner once and carried a passed out Bertholdt back to his room. So, yes, fearing her is the smart thing to do."

Honestly, Eren was pretty miffed at how quickly Armin responded. "Well, you still shouldn't open that door."

Mikasa gave the door three quick raps. "Eren, I know you're in there. I can hear your voice."

"Your voice is pretty loud," Armin agreed.

"Dammit."

"I'd rather not make this any worse than it is," Mikasa said. The handle door jiggled and Eren could hear a frustrated sigh. "Please open the door, Eren. The fact that you're not opening the door just adds to your suspicious behavior."

Before Eren could say anything, Armin darted towards the door. His hand settled on the handle, about to turn the lock and let Mikasa in. "Mikasa, it's Armin," he said. "Eren's roommate. I just want you to know that I am not involved in any of this in any way."

Eren stared openmouthed at his friend. He knew Armin would betray him sooner or later (mostly because he was incredibly good at getting into deep shit and dragging Armin down with him) but he thought it would be at the hands of a higher authority figure, like the president or something. He made a mental note to get a new best friend after this whole ordeal was over.

There was another sigh. "Armin, open the stupid door."

"Okay!" Armin squeaked and thrust the door open hurriedly for Mikasa, nearly hitting himself in the face as it swung open.

Mikasa stepped in and frowned at the dim surroundings. Lips pursed, she extended her arm to flick on the light switch on the wall.

Eren winced at the sudden brightness. "Don't you need a warrant or something?" he asked weakly. He already knew he was fighting a losing battle, especially now that she was in his domain, but he needed to at least try, right?

She didn't bother looking at him as she answered, instead walking around the room and avoiding piles of his dirty laundry. "Your roommate willingly let me in," she replied.

 _Thanks a lot, Armin_ , Eren thought. He shot a glare at his best friend – no, ex best friend, but Armin only stuck his tongue out at him. "Well, you've overstayed your welcome so you're going to have to leave now –"

"What's this?" Mikasa was at the corner of the room now, reaching towards a blanket that Eren had haphazardly thrown over his secret. He had hoped she would dismiss it as another pile of dirty laundry but it appeared she was much too smart for him. (And, honestly, it wasn't that great of a plan anyway but he cooked it up in half a second so who could really blame him?)

"Don't!" Eren shouted but it was too late.

Mikasa lifted a corner up and gasped, revealing the little crab habitat he had hidden in his room. "What is this?" she gasped, leaning towards the small glass box where his hermit crabs resided.

"My, er, hermit crabs," he answered, shuffling nervously from foot to foot.

"I told him pets weren't allowed," Armin piped up. "That he'd get caught eventually."

"Kirschstein made it sound like you were smuggling cocaine or something," Mikasa said. She was sitting down on the floor now, face pressed against the glass to get a better look at the crustaceans. "When did you get these?"

Eren took some tentative steps toward her and scratched the back of his neck. "A few weeks ago? I thought they were cool but my parents never let me have them when I was living at home so I decided to go out and buy some once I finally got into college," he said. He was wondering when Mikasa would confiscate his pets and write up a citation for him. "I'm, ah, in trouble, aren't I?"

"What?" Mikasa finally broke out of her trance and she looked over at Eren. "No. Armin, shut the door."

"But-"

"Shut the door," she repeated, making sure to enunciate every single syllable.

Armin shut the door with a large bang and he sat down on his bed, grumbling. Jeez, it was like he wanted Eren to get busted. He could have at least pretended to be happy that his best friend wasn't in trouble.

"They're so cute," Mikasa said, returning her gaze to the hermit crabs.

"Yeah?" Eren said, taking a seat beside her. "Hey, you want to hold one?"

She looked startled and blinked at him, her eyes a marvelous gray. "I can?"

"Of course!" Eren laughed. "Here just hold out your hand…" He took her hand and turned it so her palm was facing upward. He reached into the tank and plucked a crab out, gently placing it on her hand.

She cupped the little crab in her hands and stared at it in awe. The way she held his pet, like it was the most precious and fragile thing in the world, made him smile. Mikasa cooed and stroked the shell of the hermit crab in the best way.

"You know, you're pretty cool," Eren declared. "I like you."

Armin sat up to stare at him and Mikasa looked up as well. Realizing what he had just said, Eren felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment and he began to stutter.

"I mean, I…don't…hate you," he finally said lamely.

"Smooth," Armin mouthed from across the room.

He would have given Armin the finger but was distracted by Mikasa's laugh.

"Thanks," Mikasa giggled. "I don't hate you either."

He ducked his head and hoped she would be too distracted by his hermit crabs to notice the blush that was creeping up his neck.

* * *

 _Thanks for the support so far! I really appreciate it. Feel free to check out my writing tumblr where I'll also be posting things: pickalilywrites (And you can message me there too if you're more comfortable with it.)_

 _Also: Eren can only be a huge dork or an angsty jerk in my fics. There is no in-between._


	3. Do I Look Like a Normal Human 1

_A/N: I saw a picture someone drew of Eren and Mikasa in a Kyoukai no Kanata/Beyond the Boundary AU and I thought it was cute so I decided to watch KnK (I'm on the sixth episode now!) and then write something._

* * *

A figure stood at the roof of the school, staring off into space. When Eren squinted, he realized that he knew who it was. There was no mistaking the silky black hair, the pensive gray eyes, and especially the scarlet scarf tied around her neck despite the warm spring weather. It was Mikasa Ackerman, the student who had just transferred into this school a week ago. He had never spoken to her, had never gotten the chance. She seemed to be a lone wolf, sitting by herself in the corner and relatively quiet in class. Eren never pegged her to be the type of person to jump off of a roof but then again, it wasn't like he knew her. Had he taken the time to think, he probably would have called a teacher or told someone about the young girl about to jump off the roof. But this was Eren Jaeger, known for being reckless and impulsive, and his brain told him to run to the roof so run he did.

He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, cursing the stupidity of attending a school with multiple stories. He must have caught the attention of the few teachers and students that were still straggling around campus even though school had ended an hour ago. Perhaps he should have alerted his math teacher Miss Ral, who was surely staying after to grade the math exam they had taken just this morning, or maybe he should have texted Armin to get help but all he could think was, _I need to get there before she jumps._

Eren threw open the door, nearly out of breath. He scanned the roof to search for Mikasa and he caught sight of her colorful scarf. She stood on the ledge of the roof, tips of her shoes hanging off the edge. She looked, as some people whispered in the halls, like an ice queen as she stood there as still as a statue. He couldn't see her face but he bet if she turned around she'd still look as calm and cool as ever with her face in its usual unreadable mask.

"Mikasa!" he shouted, stumbling towards her. He was still panting a bit from his run up the stairs. "I don't know what you're thinking but don't jump!"

His classmate turned and her face, as he had predicted, was void of any expression. She blinked her gray eyes at him and her mouth opened slightly. "Eren Jaeger," she said in that quiet voice of hers. He had to strain his ears to hear her. "I knew you would come."

"You…you did?" Stupid as this was, he couldn't help but blush. Maybe if that stupid Jean hadn't kept talking about how beautiful Mikasa was, what with her thick, black hair and her cool, gray eyes, he wouldn't be thinking about how particularly pretty she was at this moment and…Wait a second. "You knew I would come? What the fuck does that mean?"

She leapt gracefully off of the ledge onto the roof and took a few steps towards him. "I've been watching you and I've noticed something," she murmured. Mikasa began to unravel the bandage that Eren had never noticed was wrapped around her right hand. "Please don't move. This won't hurt a bit."

"What are you doing?" Despite her telling him not to, he took a few nervous steps back and gulped.

"There's something in you," she told him. Her eyes remained fixated on him, never blinking. "A horrible spirit. They possess people sometimes. They're called Titans. But I can stop that." The bandage fell from her hand and blood began to drip from a wound between her thumb and index finger. She raised her hand and the blood began to collect and take a solid form, the form of a sword. Mikasa waved her left hand and a opaque blue screens formed around them like a box surrounding the roof.

His eyes widened as he took everything in – her blood suddenly transforming into a weapon, the strange cage that surrounded them, and the fact that his classmate was about to attack him – and his mind raced as he began to find words. "You're -"

"A Titan Slayer, yes. So you know of my kind and the monsters we deal with," she said calmly, pointing her sword towards him now. "Good. Then you understand that my weapon will only harm the Titan inside of you and leave you unharmed." Mikasa swung her sword back and quickly thrust it into Eren's chest before he could utter a word.

He only had time to shut his eyes and flinch as the sword dug into his chest. A sharp pain burst through his body and he groaned in pain. He clutched at where the weapon entered his body, trying not to cry out even though it was painful. Eren took deep breaths, trying not to focus on the sword sticking through his body, and slowly looked at Mikasa who was now staring at him with wide eyes.

"That's…why…" she stuttered. Now she was the one backing away from him. "The Titan. It never left your body…I don't know…"

Eren gave her a twisted grin and made a move to walk towards her but winced when another sharp pang hit him in the chest. "I'm half Titan, actually," he said, laughing weakly. "And kind of immortal."

"Immortal?" she echoed.

"Yeah. So could you take your sword out of my body now? I might not be able to die from it but it still really fucking hurts."

* * *

 _If you think I'm going to write a part 2 you would probably be right. Sorry if this is a bit short though._

 _As always, thank you so much for reading/reviewing/following/favoriting!_


	4. Flowers

_A/N: The obligatory flower shop AU. You're welcome._

* * *

Mikasa sat at the register, flipping another page of _The Return of the King_. She probably should have been looking over the flower shop liker he cousin had asked her to while he arranged and labeled bouquets from online orders in the back of the store but the truth was that, with the exception of holidays, business was pretty much nonexistent. There would be customers here every once in a while but it was nearing the end of the day and she doubted that anyone would come in. So here she was, alone with her book and surrounded by an abundance of sweet-smelling flowers, waiting for the clock to finally strike five so she could pack up, bid her cousin goodbye, and leave for the day.

She probably would have done so if the door hadn't swung open just then, the bells chiming to announce the arrival of a new customer, and she looked up to find a boy around her age, breathing heavily. He slammed a twenty-dollar bill on the counter in front of her, his blue eyes glimmering. The boy was breathing a little heavily, as if he had run all of the way there. "How do you say 'fuck you' in flowers?" he asked, entirely serious.

"In flowers?" she repeated, a little confused. Nonetheless, she set her book down and gave him her complete attention.

He nodded. "Yeah, it's for my friend Jean."

"You want to say 'fuck you' to your friend Jean?"

"You're right. That scum doesn't deserve to be called my friend. He was never my friend anyway, that jerk," the guy growled to himself. He turned back to Mikasa. "No, you're right. He's more of an acquaintance to me. A nuisance, really."

"Ah," she said, her lips twitching slightly. Strange as he was, this guy was pretty amusing. "A bouquet of 'fuck you' flowers coming right up, sir." She

The guy smiled as Mikasa made her way to the other side of the counter. He had a nice smile, she thought; it was a little bit too wide for his face but it was oddly charming. "'Fuck you' flowers. I like that," he said. "I'm Eren, by the way." He followed her to the side where they kept the flowers grouped by type and color.

She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and smiled, making sure not to keep her face forward so he wouldn't see her growing grin. "I'm Mikasa," she told him.

"So, Mikasa," said Eren, leaning forward and tilting his head to get a better view of her face. He was just about the same height as her, maybe half a centimeter taller or shorter she couldn't decide, with messy brown hair and mischievous blue eyes. "What does one put in one of these 'fuck you' bouquets?"

"Well, Eren," she said, adopting an air of importance. Mikasa reached out and plucked a few geraniums, bright red ones, and handed them to him. "I, for one, would think it would be a good idea to start with geraniums. They symbolize stupidity, you see."

He nodded. She could see he was biting his lip to keep from laughing. "Stupidity. Absolutely perfect. Jean's full of stupidity," he told her. "This bouquet should have an abundance of geraniums."

Mikasa gestured towards the flowers and gave Eren a mock bow. "Be sure to take as many as you think would be sufficient," she said. "But perhaps I might interest you in something other flowers as well to give your bouquet more variety. Take, for instance, the meadowsweet, which symbolizes uselessness." She waved her hand to dainty-looking flowers, small and white as snow.

Eren's grin grew even wider as his eyes gleefully took in the flowers Mikasa had just introduced. "You know, you're a very knowledgeable florist," he said, clearly impressed. He took a couple of meadowsweet, adding them to the collection of flowers already in his hand.

She shrugged. "Technically I'm not the florist. I'm just looking over for my cousin while he works on some stuff in the back. But I've seen him make enough of these 'fuck you' bouquets to send to his friends to make one for a customer if they request one," she replied. She walked over to the carnations, plucking a few yellows ones and handing them to Eren.

He took them, their fingers brushing slightly, and looked at them curiously. "He sends them to his friends that often?"

"Yeah," she laughed. "They annoy him to no end but they still somehow manage to remain friends. Weird, I know." She nods at the carnations in his hands. "Yellow for disappointment."

"Ah." Eren brought the carnation to his nose and breathed in deeply, nodding. "Yes, I recognize this scent. I smell it on Jean every morning."

Mikasa giggled. "Ready for the last one?"

"This passively aggressive loath-filled bouquet is in your knowledgeable hands," Eren replied. "Well, literally mine but metaphorically yours."

She laughed and reached for lilies – a soft orange like the setting sun. "Orange lilies to finish it off," she said. "They represent hatred."

He gave out an exaggerated gasp, staring at the lilies with wide eyes. Eren took the flowers from her and cradled the finished bouquet in his arms like it was a newborn baby. "It's beautiful," he whispered.

She smiled ruefully at the bouquet. "Almost too pretty to give to anyone even if it's a pretty cool way to say 'fuck you,'" she commented.

Eren looked at Mikasa thoughtfully. "You know, you're probably right about that," he said slowly. "I mean, Jean doesn't deserve a cleverly thought out and carefully picked passive aggressive 'fuck you' bouquet. What would be an even bigger 'fuck you' is me just never responding to you. Being the bigger man instead of even bother to give him a response, you know?"

"You just thought of this now?"

Eren grinned at her. "I never said I was the smartest guy out there." He handed the bouquet back to her. "You can tell your cousin he can use it for one of his friends."

Mikasa took it gently from him. "I'm sure he'll send it to someone soon," she replied sagely. She headed back to the counter and put the bouquet next to her book. "Sorry I couldn't help you find anything to purchase though." She made a move to hand him back his twenty but he shook his head.

"You did plenty and actually," he said, looking shyly at her, "are there flowers that mean 'new love.'"

"Lilac," she said automatically.

"Lilac," he repeated. He walked backwards until he was standing next the section of purple flowers. "These ones, right?"

She hid her smile behind her hand. "Those are irises," she giggled. She pointed at the flowers besides the one he had been looking at, the ones that were a much lighter shade of purple. "Those ones are lilacs."

"Oh!" He took a handful of them and walked over to the cash register, smiling over at Mikasa with that charming grin he had. "Thanks."

"Who are you giving them to?" she asked curiously.

"You," he replied. He held the lilacs out to her.

Mikasa's eyes widened but she took the lilacs from him. "Oh, you're giving them to me," she said. She could feel a blush blooming across her cheeks and she hoped it wasn't too noticeable.

"Yeah," he said. Eren rested his elbow on the counter. "So if you're free after work or something, do you want to go on a date?"

She pursed her lips and looked down, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "Yeah," she said, smiling. "I'd like that."

* * *

 _I saw this prompt on tumblr and thought it would be cute. I can only write fluff for SnK. Isayama's given these poor guys enough blood and gore and tragedy. As for what Jean did, I will never know. I like to think that Jean even breathing pisses Eren off._


	5. The Wolf

_A/N: It's been a while but I wrote another one! Here is the obligatory fairytale AU for Eremika. I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

Her gloved hand was wrapped around the doorknob, a basket of food hanging from the crook of her arm. The sun was setting but if she left now she'd be sure to get to her grandmother's house before dark. If it was too late to return home she'd just stay the night. She was sure her grandmother wouldn't mind. "I'm leaving now, Levi," she called out.

As expected, her cousin's head popped out from the workshop. "Don't go," he said. He wiped his brow with the handkerchief that hung from his hip pocket. "I'll deliver it in a few minutes after I finish welding the horseshoes for the king's horses. I'm just about done." Like hell he was. No matter how badly he wanted to take Mikasa's place, she knew his obsession with perfection would prevent him from completing the horseshoes before it was dark outside.

"You know that's not true," she said. "It'll be dark out by the time you're done and by then it'll be too dark outside and our grandmother would have starved to death."

"It's dangerous out there," he growled, glowering at her.

Despite his short stature, Levi's stern gaze would have made even the bravest man cower but Mikasa didn't bat an eyelash. "I'll be fine," she told him, flashing him the dagger that hung from her belt. He was always going on about how dangerous it was at night, how the evil things in the forest came awake when the darkness came. She wasn't scared. She was more than capable of protecting herself.

Levi's mouth tightened into a thin line but she knew he wouldn't argue with her. He couldn't, not when he knew she was right. The most he could do was grumble about it while she went about her merry way. Honestly, she was eighteen now and didn't need him to baby her anymore. He could just be so stupidly protective sometimes. "Okay, but remember what I told you about that forest," he said, walking over to adjust the scarf around her neck. The rest of the town thought he was a bitter, grumpy man who could bite off someone's nose if given a good enough reason but Levi was really just a fussy mother hen, Mikasa thought.

"Right, right," she said, pulling away from her worried cousin. "Big ass tress."

He growled. "No, the other thing. The forest –"

"Comes alive at night," she said, rolling her eyes. "Fairies, goblins, wolves. Don't worry about it, Levi. I'll just spend the night over at Grandmother's if it's too dark to come back."

"Why does she need to live out in the middle of nowhere anyway," he grumbled.

"The woman likes her peace and quiet," Mikasa shrugged. "I'm surprised you haven't followed suit, considering how much you hate people." She smirked at her cousin.

He scowled and shoved her outside. Gently, of course, because he was a huge softie. "Just be back as soon as possible."

She rolled her eyes and waved him goodbye. He was such a worrywart. When she first came into his care, a child of only seven that had been orphaned after a rampaging fire had burned down her house and killed her parents, he was barely eighteen and the only relative nearby that was close enough to take her. Their grandmother had offered to take care of her but Levi had refused, stating that the woods were no place for a child to be raised. Except now she wondered if something in there really did spook him. He never let her in the woods when it was broad daylight to deliver things to their grandmother's house and that's only when he absolutely had no time to do it himself.

Several feet away from the house she turned and saw that the door was still open, Levi standing in the same spot he had been when she left despite the fact that he hated the cold. She had no doubt that he would leave the lights burning well into the night even though she might not make it back until the next morning. Well, it's his fault if he freezes his ass off, she thought as she pulled her hood over her head.

But, now that she thought about it, it _was_ pretty quiet in the forest. She could hear every footstep she made. Each step she took seemed to echo throughout the forest. It was like there was nothing else there. While she could understand that most of the animals would probably be asleep right, she found it hard to believe that the forest would be this eerily quiet. She folded her arms across her chest, gripping her sides tightly, and quickened her pace. It wasn't that she was scared, she told herself. It was just that she wanted to get her grandma the basket of food before it got too late.

The wind blew by, whistling a sad song through the trees. Mikasa thought that the addition of sound would make the forest less creepy but she was wrong. The wind did more than rustle the leaves. It caressed her cheeks with cold fingers. It called her name, echoing it throughout the trees. She shivered, pulling the scarf closer to her face so it only left her eyes uncovered now. There was little she could do about the voices whispering in her ears so she forced herself to ignore them. They were probably just a figment of her imagination anyway, her paranoia running away with the idea that there really was something in the woods to fear. There were only trees and her silly mind, she told herself.

Was the road to her grandmother's house always this long? she thought to herself. The sky was a sunburnt orange now and the sun was probably near to touching the horizon. The trip usually only took fifteen minutes but Mikasa felt she had been walking for half an hour and her grandmother's house was still nowhere in sight. Her feet were beginning to ache but she didn't dare to slow her pace.

It must have been ten minutes later, the sun now setting for sure because she could see the cloak of night beginning to overtake the sky, when she heard tinkling laughter up ahead. Squinting her eyes, she could make out a faint light up ahead and she found herself running towards it, desperate to catch up to whatever travelers were there so she wouldn't have to wander around the forest alone. As she got closer, however, the laughter began to sound more like the jingle of bells. Mikasa soon found herself running towards a group of girls having a tea party. The light came from fireflies lazily flying about them, emitting more light than she had ever seen any of the little bugs give off. She froze in place, in awe of the strange sight. The girls were all blonde, blue-eyed, and had a sort of otherworldly beauty about them. A heavenly glow surrounded all of them and sparkles followed them whenever the moved. Wings were attached to their backs. They were so translucent and thin that Mikasa had thought she had just imagined them but perhaps she was imagining this whole entire thing.

One particular girl stopped mid-sip, noticing the girl with the scarlet scarf. "Oh look, it's her!" She delicately wiped her mouth with a handkerchief of lace before getting up to look over Mikasa curiously. "We've seen you, you know, whenever you go out to deliver to your grandmother. But you've never seen us until now." The girl was incredibly short and had to tilt her head up to properly observe Mikasa's face.

Mikasa blinked and shied away from the girl. No, she wasn't a girl. She was a fairy, Mikasa realized. But they only existed in fairytales…

"Don't be rude," another fairy said from the table. Her hair was short, only reaching her chin, and was a little more ginger than blonde but her eyes were just as blue as the others'. "Invite her to sit with us. She must be hungry having to travel so far when it's so late at night."

"Oh right!" the first fairy said. She tugged at Mikasa's sleeve. "Come, come! You should have something to eat. Don't be shy now. We always have too much food anyway."

"I'm really not hungry," Mikasa mumbled, trying to get her sleeve free of the little fairy's grip. She ended up being seated across from the last fairy, a girl with pale blonde hair done up in a ponytail and even paler blue eyes. Looking at her made Mikasa shiver. "I have to go. My grandmother…"

"At least have a cookie or something," the second fairy said, popping a sweet into her mouth. She shivered with pleasure as it melted in her mouth and then gave Mikasa a dazzling smile. When she saw Mikasa had not touched anything, she pushed a plate of cakes toward the girl. The pastries were decorated with flowers so detailed Mikasa would have thought they were real if the third fairy, one with short silvery-gold hair cut in a short bob and steel-blue eyes, hadn't just taken one and ate it.

"I couldn't possibly," Mikasa said but she couldn't take her eyes off of the different pastries. Just looking at them made her mouth water. It had been a while since she had a sweet and it all smelled so delicious as if everything were just freshly baked. She could just imagine all of that cream melting on her tongue and the rich, moist cakes filling her mouth. Tempted, she reached out but she remembered something.

 _She was sitting on her cousin's lap while he brushed her hair and told her a story, a nightly ritual of theirs when she was still a child. Tonight's story was about fairy sisters who held a feast in the forest at night whenever there was a full moon. "I want to eat fairy food," she said in the middle of the story. Her cousin wasn't very good at talking but he was a wonderful storyteller. He could make his words come to life and for a while she would believe in fairytales no matter how silly they seemed._

 _Levi let the brush clatter to the ground and whirled her around roughly. He gripped her by the shoulders tightly and she winced. "Mikasa, when a person eats fairy food they can never return to the human world," he said. His voice was quiet but was far from gentle. "Do you understand? They may serve the most delectable dishes before you but if you even so much as taste just a single drop of their wine or a crumb from their cakes, you can never come back."_

" _But it's just a story," she pointed out. "Isn't it, Levi?"_

 _His grip on her loosened and he swallowed. "It's just a story," he repeated, although he didn't look like he believed that very much. His eyes avoided Mikasa as he picked up the fallen brush and he didn't finish the story. He only kissed the top of her head and told her to go to sleep._

 _She never fell asleep that night._

"I can't," she said, snapping out of her daze. It was then that she realized that she had already plucked a delicate éclair while she was remembering what her cousin told her. Horrified, she dropped it like it had burned her and she hastily wiped her fingers against her skirt.

If the fairies were offended, they didn't show it. They only observed her as she shoved her chair back and hurriedly got up, already walking away from the table.

"Come back soon," the first fairy called. Mikasa didn't turn back to look at her, afraid she'd be drawn in by their beauty and light.

"I don't think she's coming back," she heard the last fairy say. Her voice was very different from the others – cool and icy where theirs was friendly and warm.

It was strange. She was far away enough from them to be out of earshot but she could still hear every word they were saying. "Maybe she doesn't like sweets," the second fairy said. "Some humans are rather picky about their food, you know."

She didn't want to hear anymore. Mikasa was sprinting now, running faster than she ever had in her life. The wind was growing louder now, shrieking her name. It seemed she had stayed at the table longer than she had thought. She had only sat down for a few minutes or so but now it was pitch black. Glowing eyes popped out from bushes to stare at her as she ran passed. She swore she heard a goblin giggle once. A wolf howled. There were sounds of an animal behind her but whenever she turned around she couldn't see a thing. When she finally saw her grandmother's cabin she almost cried for joy. The light was out but her grandmother would no doubt shelter her from the horrors she had endured tonight.

Stumbling towards the little wooden house, Mikasa fumbled for the key in her pocket and hastily unlocked the door. "Grandmother," she said. She tried to hide the fact that she was crying but every word she said came out with a choked sob. "I'm here with the food. I'm sorry it took so long. The forest, it's so different at night."

She thought her grandmother would turn the lap on but she didn't. "Oh, dear, don't worry," she heard a voice say. It was quiet and raspy. She didn't remember Levi ever mentioning her grandmother being sick but perhaps she had just gone down with a sore throat today. "Just leave the basket near the door. Come sit next to me, dear. You must be so tired after walking all the way here."

Mikasa tentatively walked towards her grandmother's bed. She didn't know where her grandmother had put the lamp so she couldn't light it to see better but she still made her way to the bed. "Grandmother, your voice sounds…different," she said. "Cousin Levi didn't mention anything about you being sick."

"Just a small cold," her grandmother coughed. "Come closer, sweetheart. You know I love seeing your lovely face." Her grandmother's face turned to look at her and her eyes were a startling blue. Ackerman eyes were always gray though… Perhaps it was a trick of the light?

She sat down on the stool beside her grandmother's bed reluctantly. "It's rather dark in here, isn't it?" she said, pulling her scarf away from her mouth so her grandmother could hear her better. "Is it alright if I start a fire or light a lantern?" When she made a move to rise from her chair, a hand quickly grabbed her arm.

"That won't be necessary, dear," her grandmother said. Her grip on Mikasa's arm was like an iron vice. Was her grandmother always that strong? "The light hurts my eyes anyhow." Her grip on her granddaughter tightened and Mikasa gasped in pain.

"You're hurting me," Mikasa said, trying to wrench herself away from her grandmother. When she looked at her grandmother, her eyes widened in shock and her free hand flew to the dagger at her side.

Her grandmother wasn't the one sitting in the bed. A girl her own age was sitting there. She was wearing Mikasa's grandmother's clothing, the hood of her cloak partially hiding her face. Wisps of light blonde hair escaped her hood. Now that she was staring face-to-face with the stranger, Mikasa could see that her eyes really were blue but there was something not quite human about them. They were more animal than human. And her teeth, oh god, her teeth were pointed like a…

"Wolf," Mikasa whispered.

The wolf-girl smirked. "At least you're slightly smarter than your grandmother," she said, tossing her head so that her hood would fall. She sung her legs over, pulling Mikasa closer to her. "But you're still going to end up the same way as her. Dead."

Mikasa unsheathed her dagger and instinctively dug it into the wolf's side.

"You little bitch!" the wolf howled, immediately letting go of Mikasa. She clutched at spot where Mikasa had stabbed her and grunted in pain as she pulled out the dagger. The wolf frowned at it with distaste as she dropped it, letting it clatter to the floor.

Silver, Mikasa remembered. Her cousin told her that he had made the dagger out of silver for her when she was younger. And silver was always used to kill werewolves. For a split second she thought about grabbing it from the floor but decided against it. Even if she had been stabbed, the wolf-girl seemed like she had enough strength to catch Mikasa if she didn't flee first. So flee she did. Or at least she tried to.

She was only able to reach the door, hand almost at the doorknob, when the wolf tackled her from behind. Her face was pressed to the floor and she shrieked. A hand grabbed her head only to roughly rub her face against the ground. The wolf brought her face near Mikasa's and Mikasa saw the wolf flash her a toothy grin from the corner of her eyes. "Nice try, girly, but you're hardly a match for me even in my human form," she said. Her breath smelled like blood and death. "Any last words before I eat you?"

Mikasa struggled to raise her head against the wolf's hand. "Help me please!" she shouted. Her cousin was over a mile away but if there was anyone who could protect her it was him. He had to know she was in trouble. He just had to. "Please somebody!"

The wolf slammed Mikasa's head down so hard that she could taste blood in her mouth. "Don't be stupid," the wolf snarled. "There's no one out here except you, me, and the other wolves." And then she began to transform. If Mikasa thought the wolf's form was monstrous, with its human features combined with frighteningly animal-like eyes and teeth, then the wolf's true form was even more so. Her face elongated to form a snout and her jaw widened, allowing her to bare even more of her pointed teeth. Fur grew all over her body – a pale white-blonde like her human hair. She was absolutely massive, now twice Mikasa's size.

Mikasa closed her eyes as she waited for the wolf to take the first bite. _Please make it quick_ , she prayed. She shivered when she felt the wolf's breath hot on her neck.

But before the wolf could dig her teeth into Mikasa's neck, the door broke open, sending a shower of splinters onto them. The next thing Mikasa knew, another wolf had dragged the first wolf off of Mikasa. It was shaggy and brown but just as large as the white-blonde wolf. The new wolf sank its teeth into the wolf-girl and she howled in pain.

Mikasa scrambled to sit up, trying to make sense of everything. Part of her wanted to search for the silver dagger the wolf-girl had discarded early but she doubted she would be able to find it in the dark. Her best chance for survival would be to run but somehow she found herself rooted to the spot she sat, unable to move. She watched as the brown wolf bit the first wolf in the neck and threw her across the room. The wolf-girl hit the wall with a hard _thud_ and let out a pained cry. She got up and whimpered in pain. The brown wolf, with its mouth stained with blood, growled. It was a deep rumble that seemed to shake the whole forest, and the wolf-girl sneered back but circled around him to reach the door, never letting her cautious eyes leave it. It was only when she had left that Mikasa realized she was holding her breath.

She let it out and realized she still wasn't completely safe. There was still the other wolf. Frightened, her head snapped to where the other wolf last stood but in its place was a boy dressed in plain peasants clothes, blood dripping from his mouth.

"Are you okay?" the boy asked when he noticed Mikasa staring at him in shock The boy's eyes were a brilliant and hypnotic blue, very much like the eyes of the wolf she had seen earlier. She could have sworn the two were separate entities. After all, there was no way that wolf could be this boy…but the boy had blood smeared across his face and dripping down his mouth, just like the wolf had.

"You're…the wolf?" she asked.

"Werewolf but you can just call me Eren" he corrected. He wiped the blood from his mouth with the bottom of his shirt. Eren raised an eyebrow when he noticed Mikasa still hadn't moved from her spot. "What's wrong?"

"But…you saved me," she finally said.

He shot her a toothy grin and his eyes flashed, something of a wolf in them. "Of course I did," he said. "Not everyone is a bad wolf, you know."

* * *

 _This is a little long for a one-shot imo but idk here you go I guess._

 _As always, thank you guys for reading! Thanks for reading/favoriting/following. I'm just going to update this one randomly because I have to work on my multi-chaptered fics. My other readers must be getting annoyed, heh. But I'll still continue this unless I state otherwise, so don't worry! Expect updates every one or two weeks. (It's much easier for me to update drabble series, you know?) And if you want to see more of a certain AU or a have a prompt you'd like written, feel free to tell me!_


	6. Ameonna

_A/N: My entry for Eremika Genre Week! Day 1's prompts are fantasy or mythology. I decided to pick mythology. Mikasa is an ameonna in this fic, a rain spirit from Japanese mythology. The story is partially inspirited by xxxHolic (chapter 59). Hope you enjoy!_

* * *

Working at a wish granting factory is tough. Well, it's really a wish granting shop but the number of customers that visit makes it seem more like the former. Not that he minds. Working at Rivaille's shop gives Eren an opportunity to work with people that he probably never would have come into contact with such interesting clients. Of course, it also helps him get used to seeing spirits but Rivaille still think he's crap with his powers. He's tried to protest that a walkthrough would work better than a hands-on approach, but Rivaille only scoffs at him and tells him he's not a babysitter every time Eren suggests a different method.

Still, he admires his mentor's abilities to handle his job so well, no matter how dark the request. Although Eren still believes that Rivaille should be a bit more polite when running the business.

"Get the door, Eren," he says absentmindedly after hearing a knock.

"Shouldn't you get it?" Eren asks even though he knows full well that he's going to be the one that ends up answering the door anyway. Perhaps if he stalls enough he'll be able to solve this math problem…

"You have legs, Eren," Rivaille growls, not budging. "Get it. _Now._ "

The poor high school student drops his pencil and gets up, making his way towards the door. "You have legs too," he mutters under his breath, but he makes sure to say it once he's out of earshot. He's already had one too many scoldings from that grumpy, old man.

Opening the door, Eren is suddenly aware that is raining rather heavily outside. He wonders how he didn't hear the raindrops pounding against the roof. Maybe he was too concentrated on his schoolwork to notice. Standing on the front steps was a girl about his age. She had a large black umbrella open, even whilst standing within the shelter of the porch, and was dressed in a simple black dress that didn't look all that warm. Blinking at him with large grey eyes, she spoke. "You're not Rivaille," she says.

"Erm, no," he says, fidgeting a bit. There's something about her intense gaze that makes him nervous. "Would you like to come inside? He's not doing anything currently, so I'm sure he could assist you with whatever wish you need granted."

The girl frowns at Eren and replies, "No, I don't think that would be a good idea. Please call him out."

As if called by magic, Rivaille appears at Eren's side before Eren can even open his mouth and the man shrugs at Eren's surprised look. "You were taking too long," he says to Eren before turning back to the girl, nodding at her in acknowledgement. "Mikasa. What brings you here?"

She turns her attention to the short man. "I need you to retrieve something for me," she answers.

Eren expects Rivaille to prompt her further for her request but is surprised when the man simply stands there and turns to his pupil. "This one is yours," he says to Eren. He glances back at Mikasa. "Don't worry. He's not as stupid as he looks. He'll help you out. You can discuss the payment with me after everything's done."

"Eh?" Eren exclaims, looking frantically between the girl and Rivaille.

"Everything you need is in the storage room, Eren," Rivaille says, waving a hand but not looking back. He's already walking back to his bedroom to do god knows what.

"I-" He realizes he's being rude to the new customer and returns his attention back to her. "Er, how may I help you?"

The girl – Mikasa, Rivaille called her – looks at him in amusement for a second before she responds. "There's water in a well that I want."

i.

She shows him a well behind an abandoned mansion that always gave him the creeps when he was younger because of the kids in his neighborhood would spread rumors about the ghosts that lived inside. The ghost stories didn't scare him anymore. He's seen real ghosts and they were far more haunting than the screaming banshees or mischievous poltergeists.

The girl doesn't say much as she accompanies him to the well but she does invite him under her umbrella. He still doesn't know exactly why she wants him to get the water from the well but he knows that he shouldn't pry. It's more than just being polite and staying out of people's business. After working under Rivaille so long, he had learned that it's sometimes best not to ask questions. Still, it's hard not to wonder…

Standing so close to her, Eren can't help but breathe in her scent and is surprised that she smells just like fresh rain on asphalt after a dry spell; petrichor, he thinks it's called. It's strange because he's sure perfumes smell like flowers or various types of foods. He thinks that maybe that it's the smell of rain on her clothing but not even a drop seems to have landed on her. She must have noticed him staring at her because she gives him a sideways glance and tilts her head.

Eren can feel his face flush after being caught staring and, in an attempt to make things less awkward, he blurts, "I'm sorry for staring. I haven't seen you around before. Do you go to a different school?"

A ghost of a smile hovers on her lips. "Ameonna don't typically go to school," she responds although not unkindly. He hadn't noticed during their initial meeting, but her voice has a soothing quality to it. It's quiet and melodic, like a lullaby. "Rain spirits, you might call us if the other term doesn't roll off your tongue that easily. Did Rivaille really not tell you about me?"

"Er, no. He just told me where I could find the glass jars and told me I'd probably have to make repeat visits," Eren says sheepishly.

To his surprise, she laughs, hiding her smile beneath a black-gloved hand. "How very like him," she says in amusement. "I'm afraid that's why it'll always be raining around here until my wish is fulfilled."

"I don't mind," he says, opening the rusty gate for her to walk through. "My mom's ecstatic because this means she doesn't need to water the flowers outside. She runs a flower shop. I help out sometimes if Rivaille gives me a day off."

"That sounds lovely," she says. "I never really get to see the flowers all that much. I just water everything and find that I need to make it rain somewhere else."

"That sucks. Maybe you can visit my mom's shop if you ever get a day off," he suggests.

He wonders if he's being too casual towards the customer, but she gives him a charming smile and he finds himself smiling back. She's pretty when she smiles, he thinks. He likes the way her eyes soften when the corners of her mouth turn upwards. Are all rain spirits this cute? Most of the other spirits he meets either want to kill him or treat him like dirt for being a human. The ameonna is one of the first spirits to be genuinely nice to him. He shakes his head before his thoughts can wander anymore. Rivaille would kill him if he thought about dating a client.

The ameonna leads him to the back of the mansion. The trees are overgrown and the foliage is so thick that the grass is hardly wet. At the center of the yard is a well that looks as old at the earth. It's made of stone and covered in numerous vines. A little wooden roof covers the top of the well with a matching bucket hanging from the rod in the middle. Eren curiously peers in, but all he sees is darkness.

Looking at the girl, he raises an eyebrow. "Are you sure there's water in here?"

She nods patiently. "My source is rarely ever wrong. Listen." Mikasa sits down next to the well and puts her ear close to the well, gesturing for him to do the same.

He follows suit, wondering what he should be listening to. He opens his mouth to ask but he sees her with her eyes closed and listening deeply. Frowning, he closes his eyes too and tries his hardest to ignore the pattering of the rain. And then he hears it. It's the distant sound of waves crashing against the shore. As he focuses more and more, the sound of waves grows louder and louder and he almost believes he's standing on the beach watching the water pulling in and out of the shore. When he finally sits back up, he finds Mikasa watching him and he suddenly feels embarrassed for taking so long. Rivaille isn't paying him to sit there and observe every little magical thing that happens on the job. (Not that he's paying him very much at all.)

"Sorry!" he says, hurriedly getting up to get the bucket. In his rush, the bucket slips from his hand and falls into the well. He yelps, snatching the rope before all of it can roll off the rod, making sure that he'd never get the water. He breathes a sigh of relief. It'd be terrible to get return to the wish shop only to tell Rivaille he failed his first ever independent job.

She's giggling now, attempting to stifle her laughter so he wouldn't feel as embarrassed. "It's fine," she tells him. "Relax a little. Rivaille isn't here. You should take as much time to revel the things in the spirit world as much as possible."

He lets out a nervous laugh at that. "How long have you known each other?" he asks. She seems familiar enough with the shop owner to poke fun of his grumpiness and other peculiar habits.

"We do business together," the water spirit says, shrugging like it's not that big of a deal. It probably isn't. A lot of spirits come to Rivaille's shop to get wishes granted. They visit far more than humans do. "He never mentioned anything about an assistant though."

Eren snorts as he pulls the bucket from out of the well and lifts it out. "I'm not surprised. Rivaille thinks I'm a fuck up." He unscrews the cap of the spherical container and pours the water in. To his surprise, the water completely fills the jar to the top. He probably shouldn't find this all that amazing after working at a wish shop for a year.

"I don't think that's true," Mikasa says as she watches him screw the cap back on. "Rivaille's easily irritated. If he hasn't fired you by now, he probably thinks you're tolerable and somewhat competent. Besides, I think you're doing a wonderful job."

His cheeks grow warm and he ducks his head so she doesn't see the blush creeping across his face. He tries to banish thoughts about how nice she is on the walk back but he can't help but think about how pretty she is whenever he glances at her from the corner of his eye.

ii.

He notices that it only drizzles around him and the ameonna. Everywhere else the rain pounds the pavement and drums against the rooftops. It hasn't stopped raining since the ameonna first arrived. "You can control all of this?" he asks her on their way back.

She looks at him questioningly.

"The rain, I mean," he clarifies. He would use his arms to gesture but he's carrying the water and doesn't want to hold it with one arm and risk shattering the jar. Rivaille already looks like he wants to kill Eren half of the time for being an incompetent buffoon.

"I can," she says. It suddenly rains harder for a brief second before returning to a lazy drizzle. "But I can't make it stop raining. Rain follows me wherever I go. You humans refer to it as my 'curse.'"

"I don't think it's a curse!" Eren blurts out. His cheeks are red, flustered for having shouted out so passionately, and he tries to elaborate with the hopes that it would make him appear less of an idiot. "Rain's good. I know most people associate rain with doom and gloom, but it's necessary for life, isn't it? I know it's cheesy, but you can't have a rainbow without the rain. Flowers don't bloom without it. And it…it feels good against your skin. Pleasant." His cheeks are even more aflame after that last pathetic sentence and he wishes he hadn't spoken at all.

She giggles but it's not an unkind laugh. "I suppose you're right."

He finds that she's relatively easy to talk to. She explains to him that she doesn't normally associate with humans other than Rivaille. ("And he's not even really human," she tells him. "He's lived too long. Humans aren't supposed to live as long as he has.") Between her work and the fact that human didn't necessarily appreciate the rain, she never finds the time or the reason to. She's curious about him though. She likes to ask him about his mother's flower shop and his favorite flowers. He even tells her about school. It's a mundane subject but she seems genuinely interested in what he tells her.

He also finds that he likes talking to her. It's only when he goes home that he realizes that he never asks her about herself and knows little about her beyond the fact that she's a rain spirit. A feeling of shame washes over him and he hopes that she doesn't think him too rude. Maybe he'll be able to ask her about herself tomorrow.

iii.

"This is the third day you've carried water for me," Mikasa says, watching Eren fill up the glass container, "and you haven't asked me what they were for. Aren't you the least bit curious?"

Eren swivels the top of the container shut and grunts as he lifts it up. "A bit but not enough to ask you," he replies. He hates how these stupid jars are spherical with the exception of the flat bottom so it could stand on its own. It made it so hard to grip. It's pretty characteristic of Rivaille to have such cumbersome things though. The shop owner likes to make things much more difficult than they need to be. "I've learned from previous experiences to just keep my curiosity unsatisfied."

She smiles and he swears that the weather just got a little less gloomy. "I promise that the answer is harmless."

"Okay then…what's the water for?" he asks.

"Drink the water," she says.

"Drink it?" he repeats, looking from her to the container in his hands. "I don't think Rivaille would approve of that."

Mikasa rolls her eyes. "It's fine. He's not here and this is technically my water." She stops walking and Eren follows suit. The ameonna unscrews the cap of the jar and dips her hand in and pulls it out, a pool of the well water in the palm of her hand. "Open your mouth."

"I-" But she already has her hand up against his mouth and is tipping the water she's cupping in her palm into his open mouth and some of it dribbles down his chin and onto his shirt. He hardly notices this though because he's so focused on how the water tastes.

It tastes like water but something else as well. There's an earthy hint to it. It's not like dirt. It's older than that, ancient, from a world that existed even before humans walked the earth. He can feel the pure liquid traveling through his veins, coursing through his whole body, and his whole being feels as if it has been purified. He's speechless when he finally opens his eyes. The world seems brighter than before even in this gloomy weather. "I've never had water like this," he croaks.

That beautiful smile settles on her lips again. "I told you it wouldn't hurt you," she says, putting the cap back on the jar. "It's some of the oldest water left in the world, untouched by humans. If used correctly, it has really incredible healing powers. A few friends of mine have ideas about restoring lakes and rivers in more inhabited areas."

"That's pretty cool!" Eren exclaims, a wide grin on his face. "You know, Rivaille never really lets me converse with the other clients. I didn't know spirits did stuff like this."

"I could tell you about it if you want," she says shyly.

"That'd be really cool!" Eren says ecstatically.

"Well," she says, tucking a lock of her thick black hair behind her ear. She gives Eren a mischievous grin. "I can help you brush up your knowledge on mountain spirits. Rivaille is particularly fond of one…"

iv.

He's sick on the fourth day. He really should have worn more layers under his raincoat, but he hated feeling that big and bulky. His mother almost made him stay at home that morning except Eren made up an excuse about having an important exam at school. Besides, it was just a little cold and nothing to be frightened about.

She must notice because she glances at him with a hint of concern from time to time. She won't ask him about it though, how his voice is a little raspy or why he's wearing an extra layer of clothes, probably because she's so polite.

"I'm sick," he tells her while they're walking back.

"Sick?" she repeats. Her brow is furrowed and he thinks that even when she's worried she looks cute. "It's my fault, isn't it? This weather's no good."

"No, no," he says hurriedly. He immediately feels like an idiot for making her feel like it was her fault. "It's my fault for not bundling up more. And my immune system sucks anyway. Don't worry about it!"

She doesn't say anything more about it and he changes the subject, not wanting to make her anymore uncomfortable than he did before.

He notices as he walks home that the rain is just a light drizzle that gently taps the ground. It tickles when it falls on his face. He has a feeling that the sudden change in how hard the rain is falling is the ameonna's doing. He'll keep in mind to thank her when he sees her tomorrow.

v.

Rivaille leans against the doorway as they walk in, Eren hauling the water in his arms. He lifts the thin kiseru pipe from his lips and blows out a trail of smoke from his lips. "Five jars of pure water," he says, looking idly at the glass container in Eren's arms. "Were you satisfied with doing business with us?"

"Very." Eren swears that she glances at him as she says this and this makes a blush creep up his cheeks. When he blinks, she's looking back at Rivaille. "I believe you'll be wanting your payment now."

Rivaille takes another puff from his cigarette and shrugs. "Discuss it with Eren," he says. "I'm sure he'll find a reasonable price." He takes his leave, leaving the door open behind him, and a trail of smoke follows behind him.

Eren's a little bit too frustrated at this point to even protest. He sets down the container and wipes his brow. "Sorry," he says to the rain spirit. Even if she's familiar with Rivaille's service, he's still embarrassed at his mentor's rude behavior. "I suppose we'll be negotiating a price now."

"Name your price," she says. "Be quick about it though. I've stayed at your town long enough. I'm sure all of your friends and family are sick of the rain."

"Take my scarf," he says suddenly, unraveling the cloth around his neck and quickly wrapping it around her. "Your price. You have to remember me."

She looks surprised but the corners of her mouth turn upwards and she touches the scarf gently with her free hand. "It's warm," she says. Mikasa looks up at him, a small smile on her lips. "But that's just another gift from you to me. That's two wishes and no payment at all. Rivaille is going to have a fit if he hears about this."

"It's enough," Eren insists.

"Close your eyes," she tells him.

He does what she tells him although he doesn't know why. It's only when he feels her pressing her lips against his that he understands what's happening. He's so surprised that he almost pulls away, but her lips taste like rain and they're softer than he though they would be. When she pulls away he's still too stunned to speak and she gives him a quick peck on the cheek.

"That one's for the scarf," she says to him. "Tell Rivaille that my sprites will pick everything up tomorrow morning."

"O-okay," Eren stutters.

"I'll see you around, Eren." She grants him one last smile before she disappears into the rain. It seems like all of the rain falls down at once, obscuring her from view, and then it suddenly stops. The clouds part and the sun is able to shine again for the first time in a full week. There's no trace of her at all. He stands there for a bit and tries to find the ameonna's figure in the distance but is disappointed to find that she's not there at all. Giving up, he decides go in the shop and find Rivaille so he could give a report on his work for the ameonna.

He barely walks back into the room when Rivaille speaks.

"Did she kiss you?"

The question shocks Eren and he finds himself blurting, "Pervert!" before he can stop himself. Rivaille shoots him an annoyed look and Eren clears his throat, remembering whom he's talking to. "Er, yes. How did you know?"

Rivaille, in typical Rivaille-fashion, ignores the question. "Ameonna kisses have special properties." He blows a puff of smoke from his pipe and watches it dissipate as it unfurls into the air. "Now you never have to worry about dying of pneumonia."

"No one dies from pneumonia in this day and age," Eren points out.

"How's your cold?" Rivaille asks.

"It's-" He didn't notice until now that his throat isn't sore at all and he doesn't feel the least bit sniffly. "It's gone."

"You'll never get a cold either," Rivaille says.

Eren raises his fingers to his lips, remembering the feeling of the ameonna's lips on his, her scent, her taste. "Will I ever see her again?" he asks.

Rivaille shrugs. "You know what spirits are like. They come. They go." He gives Eren an amused look when he notices the crestfallen look on his apprentice's face. "I have a feeling she'll be back. Of course, if you want to make a wish…"

Eren gives his master a wry smile before looking out the window. There's a rainbow outside and he wonders if the ameonna ever takes the time to notice what happens after she makes it rain. "I know better than to make deals with you," he says. "But I might have to take you up on that offer."

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 _A/N: Thanks for reading! I have a couple of other fics written for Eremika Genre Week, but I don't know if I'll do all of the prompts. School's pretty busy. Hopefully I'll have another fic up in a couple of days if I don't post another by tomorrow!_


	7. Laundry

A/N: Superhero AU that was originally for Eremika week but I ended up not making the deadline. This was fun though!

I've been thinking about a kind of Avengers-type AU where all the characters of SnK are superheros in an organization called the Legion. It's not a big AU idea of mine just because I don't really have anything aside some fun one-shots. Eren is that Hulk-type character, of course. Because he's always angry. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy!

* * *

Eren knows that he's not exactly the greatest when it came to laundry. Sometimes he accidentally throws in his colors with his whites and comes out with, well, no more white shirts. He doesn't know what to do with shirts with white stripes so they sit untouched in a pile in the back of his closet. He's had the washing machine overflow with suds at least twice in the last month, much to his landlord's distress, and he's also pretty sure everyone on his floor hates him for destroying the washer that one time. However, he never thought he'd have to wash blood out of his clothing. Hell, it isn't even his blood! Well, most of it wasn't anyway.

TV shows always made out this stuff to be so much cleaner, Eren thought. Even superhero movies were less bloody. Maybe they just want to ensure that PG-13 rating for more viewers. Whatever the reason, it led Eren to be vastly miscalculate what actual superhero work was like.

For example, fighting is way more than just flailing your limbs about and hoping you punch your opponent in the face. It takes skill, precision, and a lot of strength. If he had known that being able to transform into a 10-foot monster wasn't enough to defeat the metas that were terrorizing the city, he never would have agreed to being injected with that titan serum by the Legion. Well, his own father had just gone and injected him with the serum without consent from his superiors, but that was an entirely different story. Is he still pissed at his dad? Hell yeah, he is. The bastard could have at least told him how to use his powers before he left. Or taught him how to do laundry.

He would ask his mom for help but he thinks she'd freak out about how much blood there was on his clothing. Anyone would. Which is why he was up at 2 AM to discreetly wash his favorite shirt, which is now horrifically bloodstained after that particularly nasty fight with a meta who was clad entirely in armor earlier that night. Maybe he should have called up someone from the Legion who had experience with fights. Commander Smith was a little to intimidating and calling a superior that high up would be a little weird. Petra Ral seemed to be approachable and was friendly enough although he didn't know if she also included laundry tips when she had told him to go to her if she had any questions. He could always turn to newest members who were recruited around the same time he was but he didn't know them too well. Heck, he was sure that Kirstein asshole hated him.

As Eren continued to ponder more options, someone else walks in just then and begins to load their clothes into the machine next to his. She has a large black hoodie on, the hood pulled over her head. The wires of her earbuds poke out from her hood and loop into her pocket where her phone hides. Eren, desperate to conceal his bloodstained shirt, hurriedly drops it back into the machine and slams the door to the washer shut with a large _clang_. So much for not drawing attention to himself.

The girl lifts her head at the noise and, pulling out an earbud, turns over to look at Eren. He immediately recognizes her as the new tenant that had moved into the room at the end of his hall just last week. Her name, however, eludes him and he wonders if she even introduced herself to anyone when she moved in.

"Hey," Eren says nervously when she doesn't say anything. "Late night laundry?"

Her steely gaze makes him fidget. He's about to just press a random button and let the whir of the washing machine just drown out the silence when she decides to speak. "Cold water for blood," she says. "Vinegar works too."

He hopes to god that he didn't hear her right. "I beg your pardon?" he stutters.

"Cold water for blood," she repeats, tucking a lock of her dark hair behind her ears. The unfathomable expression on her face makes her incredibly difficult to read and this makes Eren even more nervous. "And you need to make sure you wash it out as quickly as possible. It's hard to wash bloodstains out when they've been in there for a while."

"I don't…" Eren gulped. Jesus, the Legion is probably going to kill him if they find out that a civilian somehow figured out his nighttime vigilante job just because he doesn't know how to do laundry. "What?"

She sighs. "Don't be so nervous. You're a rookie so it makes sense that you'd make these mistakes." She finishes loading her clothes into the washer and begins to add water. "You should probably just wear all black next time. It makes stains far less noticeable. Lots of us do it."

"Us?" he parrots. He slowly begins to process her words and notices that she's wearing black from head to toe. "Are you…like me?"

The girl thinks about it for a second before answering. "We're in the same division," she answers. "The Legion requested that I transfer here so that I could assist the newest member. Eren Jaeger, right?" She nods at him. "The Legion believes you could benefit with an experienced fighter who was closer to your age range. I'm Mikasa Ackerman."

At the mention of the Legion, Eren straightens up and his face begins to redden. They really should have mentioned a new person coming in to help him but he was getting used to being kept in the dark. "I look forward to working with you!" he says.

"I suppose I'll have to teach you how to do your laundry first though," she smirks.


	8. Things Fall Apart

**A/N:** _I hardly ever get requests for EreMika anymore, but I get really happy when I do get one._

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It doesn't matter where he goes. He knows in the end, she'll follow him. He could walk to hell and she would be right behind him, perhaps even helping him make his way there even if it meant the end for them both. She's even here now, visiting him in his dark and dusty dungeon cell. Perhaps he shouldn't be so surprised. After all, they had been here once together before, but this time they are on opposite sides of the prison bars – he looks at her while she stares back, outside looking in.

"You didn't have to come," Eren says to her quietly.

"I know," she replies, "but I wanted to." Isn't that always her reasoning for following him? It was that way when they were children and it's the same now. Except now he doesn't want her to stand beside him like he did when they were younger. It's not that he had grown tired of her or came to hate her presence. It's that he can't stand the way she looks at him – eyes filled with concern, hands held back because she knows if she reaches out he'd only slap them away, and her lips pressed together in a straight line to stop the flood of words asking him if he's alright and if he knows how dangerous he's being. It's even worse after times like these because the expression she looks at him with is no longer one filled with only worry. He sees flashes of different emotions – sadness, anger, exhaustion, and – worst of all – hurt.

When they were younger, he had promised his mother that he would protect Mikasa. He thought it was only obvious that he would do so, but Mikasa was the one protecting him all along. If his mother could see him know, he's sure she'd be ashamed.

What's worse: he only ends up hurting her no matter what he does. The silver scar on her cheek is a constant reminder of the pain he's given her and the pain yet to come. He wishes that he can touch it sometimes, cupping her cheek in his hand and rubbing at the scar with his thumb as if doing so will somehow make it disappear. It's impossible though, so he always keeps his hands at his sides, fists clenched as he tries to look anywhere but the scar he had given her so long ago.

"Why," he asks bitterly, "when all I ever do is hurt you?"

"I hurt you too," Mikasa tells him, but he knows she's thinking of times in their trainee days when she had thrown him on the ground too hard, making him see stars for the rest of the night. Or perhaps another time when she had punched him a little harder than she meant to after scolding him. Or even the one time she had really hurt him, cutting his face off in order to remove him from his Titan form during experiments. But those times are nothing compared to the hurt he's inflicted upon her over the years.

He doesn't even have a single scratch on his body. If he did, it would only heal itself over. She could hack his limbs off, burn him, or make him bleed. He could simply regenerate his limbs and skin, come back good as new. But even if he were unable to heal himself, he knows she would never hold a blade against him. If he were able to become bruised or wounded, it would never be because of her. Even if she did, it would probably hurt her more than it hurt him. It's already how that works whenever he does get injured even though she's never the one inflicting pain on him.

"It's not the same," Eren says finally. "You know that."

She averts her gaze, not responding because she knows he's right.

He approaches her, gripping the cold steel bars of his prison cell. "You shouldn't be here, Mikasa. After everything I've done, don't you understand? I'm not worth following. I'm not worth saving."

She must be surprised. It's the first time he's gotten so close to her ever since the attack on Marley. Even before he had left Paradis, he had kept his distance, planning and plotting his attack by himself because he didn't want to involve her in it until he absolutely had to. If she had known about it earlier, she would have informed Hanji and Levi or tried to talk him out of it. Or worse: follow him there when she found that she couldn't stop him. But in the end, she had followed him anyway, hadn't she?

She finally takes a step forward. Only a short distance separates them now, that and the prison bars that Eren had put between them. "You know," Mikasa says quietly, "I would die for you, Eren."

He knows, he knows. It's something that he's always known. It's just not something he wants to hear from her lips because it makes it all the more real and it makes everything worse. Because even though he knows this, even though he wants to say the same for her, it's not something he can say out loud because he knows he'll never have to. That's how it works, after all. She sacrifices everything for him while he walks away unscathed every time.

Ah, he thinks. Is this how she means to wound him? By piercing him with these sharp truths? But when he looks at her, he sees that she looks at him with that concerned gaze of hers and he knows that she didn't say those things out of cruelty. She meant every word. And besides, the fact that he won't say the same for her, he thinks, is probably killing her more than it will ever hurt him.

"Why?" he whispers, voice broken.

She says nothing. She doesn't have to. He already knows the answer. All she does is close the distance between them, reaching out and covering his hand with hers as he holds onto the prison bar. He holds onto the bars because if he doesn't, everything might fall apart. She holds onto him for the same reason.

* * *

 **A/N:** _I was going to title this "Die For You" but decided it was too much. I think this one is much better ^^_

 **Word Count:** _1034_


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